title: [Children referred to an audiology department. Who--why--when?].
abstract: This investigation was undertaken with the object of elucidating the pattern of referral of children (born after 1 January 1970) to an audiological department. During a period of six months, 197 children (120 boys and 77 girls) with an average age of 52 months (range 7 months to 16.5 years) were referred to the department. 81% of these children were born in 1982 or later. Only 10% were less than or equal to 1 year. General practioners or ear-nose-and throat specialists had referred 53.3% of the children, 20.8% were referred by speech therapists, 9.1% were referred by health visitors while in 7.6% of the cases, parents had employed their own right to seek specialist help. In 67% of the cases, referrals was undertaken on account of suspected defective hearing. In 53% of the children under 48 months, reduction of hearing (HL) for an average of 0.5 + 1 + 2 + 4 kHz in the best ear was found to be greater than 20 DB HL while only 18% of the children over 48 months had reduced hearing. Only 2.5% of the children were equipped with hearing aids with subsequent educational/psychological follow-up, and only two children with congenital perceptive reduction of hearing were identified, one before the age of one year and the other 30 months old. This investigation confirms previously demonstrated delay in identification of children with congenital/early reduction of hearing and it shows, in addition, that the child audiological expertise and resources in this department should be employed in the age group under four years in which audiological diagnoses and treatment are particularly difficult and where the frequency of defective hearing is greatest.
authors.affiliation: Bispebjerg Hospital, København, audiologisk afdeling.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parving
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001298:Audiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation
vernacular_title: Børn henvist til en audiologisk afdeling. Hvem--hvorfor--hvornår?